IKEA currently operates over 30 stores in China. (Photo: cnsphoto)

An IKEA store in Shanghai apologized on Monday after it was found that liquid coffee extract used in its restaurant had expired.

The incident was caused by operational mistakes, but it is of great significance for the IKEA catering department to further improve its work flow, said a statement sent by the IKEA Shanghai Yangpu store to the Global Times on Monday.

"IKEA Yangpu Store expresses sincere apologies to customers for the incident and will strengthen the training of employees in food safety operation procedures to avoid similar incidents from happening again," said the statement.

The Global Times received an exclusive complaint from a consumer who claimed that he had found the coffee extract used in the IKEA restaurant at the Shanghai Yangpu store had passed the expiration date when he was dining there on December 3.

"I was drinking coffee at the time. An employee was changing the coffee extract in the coffee machine, and put a used box on the side. I took a glance and saw that its expiration date was October 25, 2020, which means it had already expired more than a month earlier," the consumer told the Global Times.

"I asked the staff to show me the new package just put into the coffee machine and it turned out that it was also expired. They were the same batch," he added.

The consumer showed the Global Times the used coffee extract package he brought back from the IKEA restaurant. A sticker on the packaging read that it was opened on November 24; however, the expiration date was October 25.

"It means that this batch of goods had already expired when it was opened," the consumer said.

According to the consumer, he already filed complaints against IKEA with various regulatory platforms and the case is being investigated.

"I hope this matter can be fundamentally resolved, to ensure that IKEA will no longer use expired raw materials, and that this batch of expired raw materials can be destroyed," he said.

The Global Times visited the IKEA Shanghai Yangpu store on Sunday and saw that the coffee extract used in the restaurant is within the expiration date. The coffee extract in another IKEA restaurant in Xuhui District was also within the expiration date.

"The incident took place as the store failed to have double checks on the coffee extract, which led the expired coffee extract to be used in the restaurant. The store has attached great importance to the matter after the incident and has immediately started an internal food safety self-inspection," read the statement sent by IKEA to the Global Times on Monday.

According to the statement, the Yangpu store has so far received no feedback from anyone feeling unwell, and it will share the experience from this incident with other IKEA stores to continue providing consumers with a safe and good dining experience.